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8.4.2021 7 INTERVIEW ISSUES within the local con- struction industry have been of common knowledge for quite some time now. Multiple efforts and attempts have been made and are still being made by various stake- holders in a bid to address these issues, with the main ob- jective being that of improving the situation. e construction sector eco-system is made up of var- ious stakeholders with varying levels of involvement and in- terests. In their majority, these pro- vided numerous inputs and proposals on how to address these issues. One and a very important, key stakeholder that was not involved much in these initi- atives and proposals, was the construction project manager (and other construction mana- gerial roles). Internationally, and for many years now, this professional has been considered an important member of the administration of every project, from incep- tion to post-completion review and use. At the end of the day, the con- struction project manager is the catalyst and glue that holds together all the other parties and stakeholders, especially if a project is to be concluded suc- cessfully. The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) Looking at the situation from a personal perspective, and from the perspective of a char- tered professional, member and local representative of the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), late in 2019, I success- fully invited to Malta the CEO of the CIOB, Caroline Gumble for discussions with the Minis- ter for Infrastructure Ian Borg. e aim of the talks was to see how the two parties could work together for the benefit of the local construction industry. From this meeting the seed of a movement was planted. I started contacting fellow col- leagues to introduce them to the CIOB, explaining the ben- efits of membership, not just on an individual basis but most importantly, the collective po- tential in terms of the common good. As COVID-19 reached Mal- ta's shores, early meetings had to be rescheduled and reorgan- ised so to keep with the health authorities' regulations. e end result of all meetings with the various stakeholders is for this Chamber to become a fully autonomous local body that will be more of a partner to the much larger institution, but still adopting the same high standards of governance, code of ethics, values and mission. Education Clearly identified as a weak aspect within the local con- struction sector are the skill gaps and short supply in the form of specialised training and educational courses, being provided and made available by the local institutions. To address this situation, this project will be involving local educational institutions, pub- lic or private. We are already working on facilitating the ac- creditation and collaboration with the more experienced foreign institutions, namely the CIOB and its Academy. Reform Unless this profession and role of the construction project manager is regularised and le- gally recognised, it will be very difficult for the reform being piloted by the government to be fully successful. We simply need to the ex- ample of other countries, to determine what worked and what didn't. We do not deen to reinvent the wheel, but merely to tailor it to our local environ- ment. Apart from the legal recogni- tion of the CPM, the chamber will also be working to assim- ilate other construction mana- gerial roles and bringing them under one umbrella. ese will be organised in various sections that we are calling Tiers. In this way, the reform gov- ernment is piloting will be sure to reach all levels of construc- tion and site management. Besides working closely with the local educational institu- tions, we are also working on the mutual recognition with foreign institutions. Our aim is not only to be one of the leaders and drivers in this much-needed change, but also to push standards and quality to new levels. The Quintano Report Review e expert report into exca- vation and construction prac- tices - commissioned following the death of a housewife in the rubble of her own home and led by Judge Lawrence Quin- tano - focuses mainly on the technical aspect of the incident and the situation in general. It provides recommendations within the existing legal frame- work with few recommenda- tions on a new framework. On the other hand, we fo- cused on the managerial aspect of the industry. Our attempt therefore goes much deeper on the issues. We believe that if manage- ment within the construction industry is properly addressed, the chance to improve and ensure reform success will be much higher. It is all about good and proper management. e lack of it will hinder upscaling of the indus- try. Jesmond Chetcuti explains the reasoning behind the establishment of the Malta Chamber of Construction Management, its objectives and aspirations Turning attention onto construction project managers as 'key' to industry

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